Oftentimes, such as in emergency situations, protective outer garments including tactical vests, body armor vests, safety vests, and other protective outer garments need to be removed quickly. For example, when a soldier or law enforcement officer is wearing a protective vest and is injured or incapacitated, in order to provide immediate medical attention, the protective vest needs to be removed as quickly as possible. Similarly, a soldier, in danger of drowning due to being weighed down by protective outer garments along with the equipment and ammunition thereon, can save himself by quickly removing his protective outer garments. A protective garment may also need to be removed quickly, simply so the wearer can quickly change gear and put on other protective outer garments.
Protective outer garments such as military vests, tactical ballistic vests and body armor vests are usually detachable at the shoulders, and at the sides of the vest. The attachment mechanism typically includes Velcro fasteners, snap fasteners, buckles or other fastening hardware. To put on or remove the protective outer garment, a wearer must manipulate several fasteners typically one at a time. This can be a time consuming process, or may not be possible.
Currently, some protective outer garments are equipped with systems that allow a user to quickly detach, and remove these protective outer garments. Specifically, “cutaway” vests are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,188, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,137, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0221361, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0120973. The systems used in connection with these vests are generally based on parachute technology, where the emphasis is on complete deployment and not on reassembly of the protective vest subsequent to removal. Similarly, these systems emphasize an all or nothing approach, which results in total removal and separation of the protective garment. There is no intermediate options provided, such as, a capability for only partial removal of the protective garment.
Cutaway vests typically have three main components, a front portion, a rear portion, and a cummerbund. Generally, the front and rear portions of the vest, and cummerbund can be releasably attached together by cables. The cables can be routed through a series of rings and loops that are attached to the fabric of the vest, thereby releasably interlocking the vest components together. In operation, a wearer pulls a handle that is attached to the cables and withdraws the cables from the vest, thereby releasing the vest components, which can then be disengaged from the wearer. To reassemble the cutaway vest, the cables need to be rerouted through the entire series of rings and loops throughout the vest, thereby interlocking the vest components together. This can be a time consuming and tedious process.
Accordingly, a protective outer garment having a quick release system is needed that provides a reduction in operating parts, faster release, and quicker reassembly than the systems currently in use.